Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed generally to an active exhalation valve for use with a ventilator having a pressure source usable to control operation of the valve and thereby the flow of patient exhaled gases.
Description of the Related Art
Respiration may be characterized as including both an inspiratory phase and an exhalation phase. During the inspiratory phase, inspiratory gases are drawn into the lungs, and during the exhalation phase, exhalation gases are expelled from the lungs.
Mechanical ventilators are used to assist with breathing. Conventional ventilators typically push inspiratory gases including oxygen into the patient's lungs. Many patients who use a ventilator also need other types of assistance related to treating and maintaining their airways and lungs. For example, some patients may use a nebulizer to deliver drugs to their lungs and/or airways. Further, some patients may need help clearing secretions from their lungs and/or airways. Such assistance is typically provided by a conventional suction device. Thus, in additional to a ventilator, many patients require multiple devices and traveling with such equipment can be particularly problematic.
Currently, to receive cough assistance, a patient must be disconnected from mechanical ventilation, and connected to a separate cough assist device. After a cough assist maneuver is performed, the patient must be disconnected from the cough assist device, and reconnected to the mechanical ventilation. Often, suctioning of the patient airway is also performed after the patient has been disconnected from the cough assist device and reconnected to the mechanical ventilation to remove secretions not adequately cleared from the patient airway during the cough assist maneuver. To minimize risk of patient hypoxemia during the period of time that the patient is not receiving mechanical ventilation, it is a common practice to deliver an elevated level of inspired oxygen before removing mechanical ventilation from the patient. Because this process may be tedious, it is often not performed in a manner that is most advantageous to the patient.
Thus, a need exists for ventilators configured to be portable and/or provide additional functionality beyond delivering inspiratory gases into the patient's lungs. The present application provides these and other advantages as will be apparent from the following detailed description and accompanying figures.